Kanteen

Restaurant/cafe

Kanteen is the perfect place for hardcore city slickers to get a small, civilised dose of the great outdoors. Nestled in a leafy bend of the Yarra River, this was once an amenities block but a simple, very effective renovation that makes the most of the lovely views and riverside ambience makes it easy to forget the past. Much favoured by joggers, bikeriders and well-groomed pram-pushing mothers, Kanteen keeps things simple food-wise – poached eggs with smoked salmon and spinach for breakfast, rustic chunky soups and stuffed pide for lunch – but the real star here is the excellent, lovingly made coffee. Service can be slow in busy times but with the sun shining and the river flowing, who wants to hurry?